Is Diabetes Normal?

Since the day of my diagnosis, the notion of diabetes being “normal” has been drummed into me. I can still remember my father reassuring me that although I would be stuck with diabetes forever, I would still live a completely normal life. “The treatments have come so far. There will definitely be a cure in your lifetime.”

This quest for normality might be part of the reason that I didn’t display any visible signs of diabetes for so long. I failed to bring my meter or jellybeans with me when I left the house. Despite constant reminders that it could save my life, I stubbornly refused to wear my medical alert bracelet. Besides, it was annoying to put on and take off and it caused me to constantly fidget.

The only thing that did make it into my pocket without fail was an insulin pen because I could never guarantee that I wouldn’t be tempted to eat. Even then, I would often wait for a convenient moment to duck away and give my insulin dose. I preferred not to talk about my condition either, despite it being a huge part of my life.

In 2015 I began blogging and joined the cool kids that hung out the Diabetes Online Community (DOC). This was my very first form of connection to other people like me. For the first time in my life, diabetes was normalized. People were sharing the daily highs and lows of diabetes and I slowly began to feel a little more comfortable with my condition.

However, I still rejected this notion that diabetes made me different. I hated seeing campaigns and stories that shed a light on some of the consequences of diabetes. I wanted so badly to project an empowering, superhero-like image of diabetes to the world, even if there were highs and lows along the way.

Fast forward to today, where I find myself feeling far more experienced and knowledgeable about my condition. I feel more connected and better supported by both my peers and my healthcare professionals. I have a far better understanding of the impact that my condition has on other aspects of my life.

Sure, I feel confident in saying that diabetes hasn’t stopped me from achieving anything that I had planned on doing when I was diagnosed at the age of 17. Diabetes has opened my world to new people and experiences, has given me greater confidence and even somewhat of a direction in life.

However, I feel that I would be doing myself an injustice by saying that diabetes is normal.

Diabetes is a huge physical and mental effort to contend with, each and every day of my life. I have days where my other commitments feel more challenging, simply because I have to manage my diabetes as well. Acknowledging all of the hard work that goes into my daily management is what helps me to better cope with it all.

Knowing that my condition does indeed make me different from my peers helps me to be kinder to myself the next time I’m feeling utterly exhausted or super emotional.

Frank was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a young adult in 2010. As a passionate writer, Frank began blogging as an outlet to share his experiences of living with diabetes. He hopes to combine his background in Marketing towards working with people with diabetes in the future. Frank lives in Western Australia, and blogs about his life with diabetes at Type 1 Writes.